20 August 2010

Honey Lavender Roasted Figs

Figs are at the market again. This week I saw not only fresh Mission figs but Turkey and Kadota figs as well. They make a pretty display. I love their hues of limey green to soft brown or eggplant purple. I like their homey teardrop shape, the way they sometimes ooze with sticky beads of rich juice when they are ripe. They are a curious blend of innocent sweetness and jaded softness.

I like most summer fruit best when it is served with a sprinkling of sugar to draw out the juice and deepen the flavor and a dollop of whipped cream. Figs, however, are a different story. Quiet, unassuming and self-contained, they carry a full rich sweetness of their own but also blend beautifully with a variety of flavors. Their flesh has the delicate grainy crunch of a sugar cube drenched in nectar and it sweetens the tart flavor of the skin to perfection when ripe.

I am drawn to figs and enjoy them plain but if I choose wisely and am able to savor a single luscious perfectly ripe fig I am satisfied. Then I am left wondering what to do with the rest of the box.

The problem is a welcome one. The trick is to let go of my preconceptions about summer fruit. Figs are comfortable whether paired with savory ingredients or sweet. They make a delicious tart but also add an exotic counterpoint to the sharp flavors of cheese, onion and red pepper. One of my favorite treats the past few summers has been a flatbread from Truly Scrumptious topped with just those ingredients, and punctuated with figs. The combination is unexpected, pretty and delicious.

This summer I searched out a few other ideas as well. I paired the remains of my last box of figs with some amazing Blackberry Honey from Nature's Wild Harvest at the Camas Farmer's Market in a variation on a couple of simple recipes I found at Apartment Therapy and Yum Sugar. Keeping in mind a hint I recently read at More Than Burnt Toast about substituting lavender for rosemary in almost any dish, I came up with a wonderfully delicious way to enjoy this summer’s bounty of figs.

Pam - Sounds like a great ideal! I hope you have better luck with you figs than I do with my blueberry bushes.

Heather and Gypmar - I hardly ever see figs for sale around here except at the Camas Produce Market. At the Camas Farmer's Market, Truly Scrumptious sometimes sells their flatbread with figs on it but I haven't seen fresh figs for sale. My strategy was to buy that fabulous honey at the market and then pick up the figs at Camas Produce on the way home.

Heather and Gypmar - Update! Proving myself wrong, I just saw a big assortment of figs for sale at Whole Foods in the 'Couv. There were Black Mission figs, Brown Turkey figs, and Calimyrna figs (green). I suppose it is officially the season. Enjoy!